The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today expressed its concern over the deterioration
noted in Greece's
print media, especially at a time when the need for credibility in the press is
more urgent than ever.
"We call on Greek national and local
authorities as well as media owners to make their utmost to guarantee the
existence of viable journalism in Greece" said the EFJ President Arne
König.
Aside from the complete deregulation of labor
relations, it is alarming to see newspapers with a long-standing presence in
the field on the brink of closure. The most characteristic examples are the Athens daily Eleftherotypia and the Thessaloniki daily Macedonia. Eleftherotypia is inexorably linked with the country's post-dictatorship history, having
expressed with consistency and intensity the country's progressive voices. Macedoniahas just marked its
hundredth anniversary, a paper that single-handedly manifests the history of
press in Northern Greece. And yet, journalists
at both of these papers have remain unpaid for the past four months, while
their publishers seem incapable of handling the weight of responsibility
carried by the possession of such significant titles.
"The crisis cannot excuse blatant situations
such as unpaid journalists for several months. Publishers' duty to preserve and
sustain such historic newspapers is not only owed to the journalists, it's
behooved of them by the public good of information to citizen as the country is
amidst its worse crisis since decades", said König.
The EFJ supports its affiliates, the
Journalists' Union of Athens Daily Newspaper and the Journalists' Union of
Macedonia and Thrace Daily Newspaper in their opposition to the closures. Their
struggle coincides with demonstrations which are taking place across the
country to commemorate the repression of students' uprising by the military
junta on 17 November 1973.
The EFJ is the regional
group of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
For more information, please contact EFJ on + 32 2 235 22 00
The EFJ represents more than 250.000 members in over 30 countries
